Expandable connecting member for file folder

ABSTRACT

A file folder includes a front panel, a rear panel, and two side expandable connecting members coupled between the front panel and the rear panel for allowing the front panel and the rear panel to be moved toward or away from each other in order to adjust a space between the front panel and the rear panel. The connecting members each include a V-shaped front connecting segment having a free end attached to the front panel with weldings, and a V-shaped rear connecting segment coupled to the front connecting segment and having a free end attached to the rear panel with weldings. One or more V-shaped intermediate connecting segments may further be coupled between the front and the rear connecting segments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an accordian-like file folder, and more particularly to an accordian-like file folder including an improved expandable or collapsible side connecting member made of cheaper or economical materials and having a structure to be easily and quickly manufactured.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Typical file folders, particularly the accordian-like file folders comprise a front panel, a rear panel, and two side expandable or collapsible envelopes or connecting members coupled between the front panel and the rear panel for allowing the front panel and the rear panel to be moved toward or away from each other in order to adjust the volume or space or compartment size between the front panel and the rear panel.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,509 to Su discloses one of the typical accordian-like file folders also comprising two expandable or collapsible side envelopes or connecting members coupled between the front panel and the rear panel for allowing the front panel and the rear panel to be moved toward or away from each other in order to adjust the volume or space or compartment size between the front panel and the rear panel.

For allowing the expandable or collapsible side envelopes or connecting members to be suitably expanded or collapsed or for allowing the front panel and the rear panel to be moved toward or away from each other, the expandable or collapsible side envelopes or connecting members are required to be made of resilient synthetic materials, such as polypropylene (PP), rubber materials or other expensive synthetic materials which are very expensive and which may greatly increase the manufacturing fee or cost for the typical accordian-like file folders.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,724 to Ho discloses another typical accordian-like file folder or compartmentized file folder also comprising two expandable or collapsible side envelopes or connecting members coupled between the front panel and the rear panel for allowing the front panel and the rear panel to be moved toward or away from each other in order to adjust the volume or space or compartment size between the front panel and the rear panel.

The expandable or collapsible side envelopes or connecting members are also required to be made of resilient synthetic materials, such as polypropylene (PP), rubber materials or other expensive synthetic materials which are very expensive and which may greatly increase the manufacturing fee or cost for the typical accordian-like file folders, for allowing the expandable or collapsible side envelopes or connecting members to be suitably expanded or collapsed or for allowing the front panel and the rear panel to be moved toward or away from each other.

In addition, in the typical accordian-like file folders or compartmentized file folders, the expandable or collapsible side envelopes or connecting members are normally bent or formed or molded or deformed from a continuous sheet member, but the continuous sheet member are required to be made of resilient synthetic materials that may not be easily folded or bent or deformed into the expandable or collapsible side envelopes or connecting members, and the manufactured expandable or collapsible side envelopes or connecting members of the typical accordian-like file folders or compartmentized file folders may be sprung back and may not be suitably compressed to a flat folding structure.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional expandable or collapsible side envelopes or connecting members for the file folders.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a file folder including an improved expandable or collapsible side connecting member made of cheaper or economical materials and having a structure to be easily and quickly manufactured.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a file folder comprising a front panel, a rear panel, and two side expandable connecting members coupled between the front panel and the rear panel for allowing the front panel and the rear panel to be moved toward or away from each other in order to adjust a space between the front panel and the rear panel, the expandable connecting members each including a V-shaped front connecting segment which includes a free end attached to the front panel with weldings, and a V-shaped rear connecting segment coupled to the V-shaped front connecting segment and having a free end attached to the rear panel with weldings for forming the expandable connecting member. The V-shaped front and the rear connecting segments may be formed or manufactured separately and then attached or secured together with such as stitches or weldings or spot weldings for allowing the connecting segments to be made with cheaper or economical materials, such as cheaper or economical plastic materials without being made or manufactured with the expensive polypropylene (PP) materials, rubber materials or other expensive synthetic materials.

The expandable connecting members each further include at least one V-shaped intermediate connecting segment attached between the front connecting segment and the rear connecting segment for increasing the expandable space or compartment between the front panel and the rear panel.

The panel include a cover foldably attached to the rear panel with a foldable hinge for allowing the cover to be folded relative to the front panel and the rear panel between a folding position and an opened working position.

The rear panel include at least one lock attached to the cover for selectively engaging with a corresponding lock member of the front panel in order to selectively secure and lock the cover to the front panel at the folding position.

Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a file folder in accordance with the present invention in which a cover is folded and positioned at a closing position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the file folder similar to FIG. 1 in which the cover is opened and positioned at an opening or working position;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are enlarged partial perspective views of the file folder;

FIG. 5 is an upper perspective view of the file folder similar to FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrating the other arrangement of the file folder that has no cover provided thereon;

FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view of the file folder as shown in FIG. 5; and

FIGS. 7 and 8 are enlarged partial perspective views of the file folder as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1-4, a file folder 1 in accordance with the present invention comprises a front panel 10, a rear panel 20, and two side expandable or collapsible envelopes or connecting members 30 coupled between the front panel 10 and the rear panel 20 for allowing the front panel 10 and the rear panel 20 to be moved toward or away from each other in order to adjust the volume or space or compartment size between the front panel 10 and the rear panel 20. The two side expandable or collapsible envelopes or connecting members 30 each include a substantially V-shaped first or front connecting segment 31, a substantially V-shaped second or rear connecting segment 32, and selectively or optionally, one or more substantially V-shaped third or intermediate connecting segments 33 to be attached or secured between the connecting segments 31, 32.

For example, the first or front connecting segment 31 of each of the expandable or collapsible envelopes or connecting members 30 includes a free end 34 attached or secured to the front panel 10 with such as stitches or weldings or spot weldings 37, and the second or rear connecting segment 32 also includes a free end 35 attached or secured to the rear panel 20 with such as stitches or weldings or spot weldings 37, and the third or intermediate connecting segments 33 each include two free ends attached or secured to or between the first or front connecting segment 31 and the second or rear connecting segment 32 with such as stitches or weldings or spot weldings 37 for allowing the connecting segments 31-33 to be coupled or secured together to form the expandable or collapsible envelopes or connecting members 30.

It is to be noted that the first or front connecting segment 31 and the second or rear connecting segment 32 may also be directly attached or secured together with such as stitches or weldings or spot weldings 37 without the third or intermediate connecting segments 33. The file folder 1 may further include a cover 21 foldably or hingely attached or secured to the rear panel 20 with such as foldable hinges 22 (FIG. 2) for allowing the cover 21 to be folded or rotated relative to the front panel 10 and the rear panel 20 between a closed or folding position as shown in FIG. 1 and an opened or working position as shown in FIG. 2, and one or more catches or locks 23, such as male locks 23 attached or secured to the cover 21 for selectively engaging with the corresponding catches or locks 11, such as female locks 11 that are attached or secured to the front panel 10 in order to selectively secure or maintain or lock the cover 21 to the front panel 10 at the closed or folding position as shown in FIG. 1.

Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 5-8, the file folder 1 may include no cover attached or secured thereto for forming a normally opened structure As shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, the file folder 1 may further include a bottom expandable or collapsible envelope or connecting member 40 coupled between the front panel 10 and the rear panel 20 for allowing the front panel 10 and the rear panel 20 to be moved toward or away from each other in order to adjust the volume or space or compartment size between the front panel 10 and the rear panel 20. The bottom expandable or collapsible envelope or connecting member 40 also includes two or more substantially V-shaped connecting segment 41 having free end portions attached or secured together or attached or secured to the front panel 10 and the rear panel 20 respectively in order to form the bottom expandable or collapsible envelope or connecting member 40.

It is to be noted that the substantially V-shaped connecting segments 31-33, 41 may be formed or manufactured separately and then attached or secured together with such as stitches or weldings or spot weldings 37 for allowing the connecting segments 31-33, 41 to be made with cheaper or economical materials, such as cheaper or economical plastic materials without being made or manufactured with the expensive polypropylene (PP) materials, rubber materials or other expensive synthetic materials.

Accordingly, the file folder in accordance with the present invention includes an improved expandable or collapsible side connecting member made of cheaper or economical materials and having a structure to be easily and quickly manufactured.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed. 

1. A file folder comprising: a front panel, a rear panel, and two side expandable connecting members coupled between said front panel and said rear panel for allowing said front panel and said rear panel to be moved toward or away from each other in order to adjust a space between said front panel and said rear panel, said expandable connecting members each including a V-shaped front connecting segment which includes a free end attached to said front panel with weldings, and a V-shaped rear connecting segment coupled to said V-shaped front connecting segment and having a free end attached to said rear panel with weldings for forming said expandable connecting member.
 2. The file folder as claimed in claim 1, wherein said expandable connecting members each further include at least one V-shaped intermediate connecting segment attached between said front connecting segment and said rear connecting segment.
 3. The file folder as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rear panel include a cover foldably attached to said rear panel with a foldable hinge for allowing said cover to be folded relative to said front panel and said rear panel between a folding position and an opened working position.
 4. The file folder as claimed in claim 3, wherein said rear panel include at least one lock attached to said cover for selectively engaging with a lock of said front panel in order to secure and lock said cover to said front panel at said folding position.
 5. A file folder comprising: a front panel, a rear panel, and two side expandable connecting members coupled between said front panel and said rear panel for allowing said front panel and said rear panel to be moved toward or away from each other in order to adjust a space between said front panel and said rear panel, said expandable connecting members each including a V-shaped front connecting segment which includes a free end attached to said front panel with stitches, and a V-shaped rear connecting segment coupled to said V-shaped front connecting segment and having a free end attached to said rear panel with stitches for forming said expandable connecting member.
 6. The file folder as claimed in claim 5, wherein said expandable connecting members each further include at least one V-shaped intermediate connecting segment attached between said front connecting segment and said rear connecting segment. 